Silver Flower
by AdmiralCats
Summary: Following the Colonial Marines' mission to LV-400, Pvt. Drake begins a three-week punishment for threatening to strike his squad's android, Bishop. Being separated from his unit is bad enough, but Drake doesn't know if he can handle the humiliation of wearing a tracking collar and being monitored by an eccentric scientist and his unusual zoo.
1. Chapter 1

At least I was told I could take my journal with me during the course of my punishment. I'll be honest, I was afraid that I was going to have it scoured and searched, but, I was wrong, and I was glad I was wrong.

Anyway, I didn't exactly get to grab my personal items until it was decided what my punishment was going to be for threatening to hit an android, and after I said my goodbyes to the rest of my squad, Vasquez in particular. I knew she was going to miss me. I was going to miss her. We've known each other a long time, and this'll be the first time we're going to be separated.

I don't know if it was someone in the Marines or Weyland-Yutani, but we were ordered to dock at an orbital hospital station as we returned from LV-400 on a mission to rescue some lost explorers. We got one explorer-the other was used as a host by some sadistic alien monster. I feel like a failure purely because we didn't get to save both men.

I had lost control of my emotions during that mission, and ended up lashing out at our android, Bishop, threatening to hit him multiple times, though I never acted on it. That was still enough to make Sergeant Apone decide that I was going to be punished for doing so, because androids are fucking expensive and no one really wants the Colonial Marines to be in a negative spotlight when it comes to Weyland-Yutani's precious robots.

Whoever Bishop was talking to over the comms told him that I had to follow him as he pushed the gurney holding the surviving explorer into the hospital station. The catch was that I was handcuffed. You know, to let everybody know that I was destined to be punished.

"Take care of yourself, Drake," Corporal Hicks said as he watched Bishop snap these bulky metal cuffs on my wrists. "We'll miss you."

"I don't know if that's sarcastic or not," I muttered.

"Trust me. It's not. You're a good soldier, and we probably won't function the same way without you." He offered me a grin before ducking into another room.

"Thanks for trying to make me feel better, but it ain't working."

Bishop looked at me. "Give him credit where it's due; at least the people you work with care about you and value your contributions."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll give him that." I stood up, glancing at the cuffs. "I really hope I don't have to be in these for three fucking weeks."

"That's not up to you." Bishop began gently pushing the gurney down a loading ramp, into a vast, white hangar full of large and small ambulatory vehicles. Robotic voices from PA systems echoed across the hangar, and humans and androids alike walked about, doing their usual business without so much of a glance at us. We hadn't gotten halfway across the hangar when we were approached by two men. One was wearing a black business suit, neatly pressed, with a dark-blue tie. His hair had been neatly combed and slicked back, and his face was expressionless. The second man was wearing a heavy, khaki trenchcoat and a tilted cap. There was no denying he had some form of albinism, as his face was almost as white as the walls around us, and his eyes, which glanced around the room attentively, were a pale ruby color.

"Private Drake," the man in the suit said, keeping his face blank, "you will follow Doctor Delhoun to his laboratory, and I will meet you there to discuss your punishment." He turned to Bishop. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"He didn't actually hit me," Bishop said. "I don't think anything overly harsh should be done to Drake. He, and the other Marines, had a bit of a horrendous time on LV-400."

"So I heard. You _will_ give me all the details, Bishop."

That was going to be the last time I saw Bishop before I was going to be punished. All I could do was hope he was still going to be with my unit, and he was going to be OK. Not that I have a soft spot for him; he's useful, that's all.

My biggest question was why I was with this doctor. He was strangely quiet, and didn't seem too interested in making conversation, up until we reached his lab.

"Don't touch anything," he said, gently taking my arm and pushing me into the large room.

Well, this was definitely interesting. There were open cages and animals-alien animals-all over the place. The room was alive with the shrieks and chatters of various species, some of whom were climbing all over massive plants.

Delhoun whistled, and a large dark shape landed on his shoulder.

"Hey, we saw these on LV-400," I said.

The creature was probably the only animal there wearing clothes. It had on the same black coat, boots, gloves, and helmet I saw on the creatures on the frozen LV-400, complete with its signature gas mask. I don't know what they look like with their masks off, but I did learn something that day in the lab: these things have tails. A long, thin tail, covered in light brown fur, had snaked around Delhoun's shoulders, almost around his neck.

"I figured you did," Delhoun said, cupping the filter of the creature's mask in his hand. "Annexers are fairly common there. Magnificent animals, aren't they?"

"Annexer?"

"Oh, that's the name I gave them, because they 'annex' you into their lives." He looked at the one on his shoulder. "Don't you, Winnie?"

I snorted. "You named yours Winnie. Mine's named Little Shit."

"Ah. Yes, their behavior can be seen as very irritating, to some. They make wonderful pets, though, with proper training. I've had Winnie for five years, and she's as tame as a housecat." Delhoun walked further into his lab. "Come along, Drake. Have a seat." He gestured to a chair next to his desk.

As soon as I sat down, Winnie jumped onto the desk, craning her neck to sniff me. She recoiled at first, and then moved closer, pressing her mask closer to my shoulder and chest.

"What? You smell Little Shit on me, don't you?" I said.

"She probably does," Delhoun replied as he sat at his desk. "Be careful, though; if Little Shit is an unmated male, she might attempt to, ah . . . hump you. Both males and females possess unique pheromones that only the opposite sex can smell, and, yes, when they bond with a human, those pheromones are emitted." He opened a wide drawer, pulling out a large metal ring. He smiled, before rolling his chair in front of me. "Lean your head forward." As I did, he pressed a button on the ring, and it came unhinged. Slowly, Delhoun put the ring around my neck, adjusting and pushing it until it was snug. As soon as he let go, a tiny red light came on, and then I felt a prick in my neck. Delhoun's smile got bigger as a massive file composed of all my information and vital signs appeared on a monitor in front of. "Beautiful. Simply beautiful."

"What . . . is this?"

"This is a prototype Security Collar, fifth model and first to be used on a human subject. You will be wearing this for the next three weeks to . . . prevent any kind of escape. It holds a powerful GPS module that can be picked up even if you're in the middle of nowhere."

I sighed. "Why can't I just get solitary confinement for a few days? I'm not wearing a tracking collar."

"It's a bit too late for that. When I was informed I'd be taking care of you for the duration of your punishment, I programmed the collar to lock and stay locked for three weeks. Can't remove it unless I override the locking mechanism, or until the time's up."

Great. My punishment was going to be spending three weeks in this guy's zoo.

I wasn't exactly wrong when I stated that my punishment was going to be spending three weeks in Delhoun's zoo, because when that Weyland-Yutani executive came into Delhoun's lab, he first examined the Security Collar, saying that he hoped this test run went well. Delhoun explained that there were a number of features that could be added, such as electric currents to shock me if I stepped out of line. I stayed quiet, trying to make myself look like I didn't deserve that.

The final decision was this: I was going to stay with Delhoun and accompany him wherever he went in order to be a human guinea pig for this tracking collar. I brought up the courage to ask why, and Delhoun said, "Timing. I had just completed the model, and the Marines had someone who did something naughty. It all works out." He smiled. "Please understand that I don't wish to bring any harm to you."

I didn't say a word, a nervous feeling starting in my stomach.

"Your blood pressure's going up."

I groaned. "Is there anyway that can be turned off?!" I gestured to the monitor displaying just about every function taking place in my body.

"I haven't thought about that yet. If I turn off your vital signs, the collar turns off, too. When it can be taken off, I'll work on that."

I stood up, letting out an exasperated sigh. "Can I get my stuff and say goodbye to some of the Marines?"

"Yes. Yes, you may."

As I left the lab, I knew that Delhoun could see exactly where I was going, and it was a mildly unnerving feeling. What was even more unnerving was that I didn't see Bishop when I found the rest of my unit waiting outside the transport airlock.

"Cool necklace, Drake," Hudson said.

"Not a necklace, moron," I replied. "It's a tracking collar. Gotta wear it for three weeks. Gonna get my stuff and then . . . then I'll be off."

When I grabbed my backpack and duffel bag, I saw my reflection in a mirror near the lockers. Dear God, I looked like an animal wearing that stupid collar. I hated it. Slinging my bag over my shoulder, and giving my smartgun one last look, I stormed out of the locker room, running right into Vasquez.

"That collar does a nice job at making your head look smaller," she said.

"I'm not taking that as a compliment," I muttered.

"Hey, this is the last time I'm going to see you in three weeks. Smile."

I tried, but it definitely wasn't a real smile.

"Cute." Vasquez lightly punched my arm. "Have fun, Drake. We'll all miss you."

"Make sure you smack Hudson a few extra times for me, OK?" I adjusted my grip on my bags before heading back into the hospital hangar through the airlock, feeling as though my chest was empty. Vasquez and I stared at each other for a few agonizingly long minutes, and at one point, we glanced away. Then we looked at each other again. I offered a weak smile, unsure of myself and certain I looked like a moron. I don't know why that last conversation I had with Vasquez didn't go deeper, and I wish it did, because within the next hour, Bishop was returned, and my unit left the station, leaving me completely alone.

Well, I wasn't completely alone. I had Delhoun and Winnie to keep me company for the next three weeks.

Compared to Little Shit and his tribe, Winnie was incredibly domesticated. She rode around on Delhoun's shoulders with her tail loosely wrapped around his neck. She obeyed basic commands like "sit," and she played similar to the way cats and dogs do.

But, just like Little Shit, she wouldn't let another human touch her. I made the mistake of touching her helmet, and she whirled around to scratch me, leaving four deep cuts on my upper arm. Delhoun later explained her reaction was violent compared to most other Annexers because of the fact that I was already bonded and that I was covered in the pheromones of an unmated male. Thanks for telling me that now, smart one.

It was difficult to sleep at night. The collar was uncomfortable, and the PA system was always active. Sometimes, when I did get to sleep, I'd be jolted awake by Winnie screeching at something in the hall outside Delhoun's quarters.

In the morning, I awoke to feel something nosing around my blankets, and found Winnie cautiously examining me. I didn't move, afraid she'd sense I was awake and scratch me again. I felt her paws on my lower back, and heard her sniffing. She crawled over me, and pressed her mask to my stomach.

It was so hard not to move, but I didn't want her attacking me. Then she started cooing, and gently massaging my stomach. I had no idea what that meant, so I still didn't move.

This went on for almost an hour. I was uncomfortable, and I wished Delhoun would wonder where his pet was and come in to pull her off me. Finally, I heard Delhoun's high-pitched voice calling, "Winnie! Where'd you run off to?"

Using me as a launchpad, Winnie bolted into the hallway, chirping.

"What were you doing in Drake's room, sweetie?" Delhoun peered into my room. "Drake? Are you up?"

I sat up. "Yeah, I'm up."

"How was your first night here?"

"Uncomfortable. The collar hurts and your little pervert was climbing all over me."

"Really? What was she doing?"

"She was sniffing my back, massaging my stomach, rooting around my blankets. I was afraid to move because she might attack me."

"I don't think she would've attacked you if you moved. She was probably trying to see if she liked Little Shit's scent or not."

"Yeah, well, I think she likes it. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they started humping each other like rabbits if they met."

"That depends," Delhoun muttered. "Annexers are notoriously difficult to breed in captivity. There's a reason most domesticated ones are specimens brought back from the wild, and why they are very rare as pets." He smiled at Winnie. "I'd love to stick around and chat, Drake, but I've got work to do. Breakfast is in my quarters, and when you're finished, don't go in any of the rooms marked 'biohazard,' but that's common sense, now, isn't it?" He grinned at me before leaving the room.

I still felt like one of Delhoun's exotic pets as I walked across the hall to his quarters wearing that stupid collar, but it was pretty generous of him to let me eat in his private quarters. Even better was the fact that he didn't have crappy rations, and he didn't tell me what I could and couldn't eat. I enjoyed myself, to be honest, because Delhoun had a nice selection of breakfast food that I hadn't had in what felt like years.

As I helped myself to a bowl of cold fruit, I heard squeaky chattering coming from the doorway, and turned to see Winnie, blocking my only way out. She proceeded to leap onto the counter, watching my every move.

I couldn't help but feel as though she didn't like me. Even as I doing something as simple as putting peanut butter on a waffle, Winnie was staring at me, intently.

Irritated, I tossed the butterknife in the sink. "Alright, listen, we don't have to be disliking each other, OK? You get my message? You need to stop watching me. Don't crawl in my bed. Don't sniff me, and don't follow me around, got it? Have we reached an understanding, or is this a 'my-turf-my-rules' kind of thing?"

Winnie tilted her head.

"I got two words for you," I held up two fingers, "Go. Away. Let me eat my breakfast in peace."

Jumping onto the small table in the middle of the room, Winnie screeched at me while knocking an empty glass, plate, and fork onto the floor. I lunged to grab her, but she flew from my arms and landed on another counter. I was about to grab her again when she leaped onto my back and then dashed out of the room.

Honestly, I thought she was just trying to be a pain because I was a new presence and animals tend to not like new people in their space, so I tried to ignore what she was doing.

Until she snuck back into the room to headbutt me in the stomach right after I had eaten.

Most of the day was spent sleeping. Naturally sleeping. No hypersleep. I slept long into the afternoon, and wondered if this was really a punishment. I mean, yeah, I wasn't fighting with my unit, but I also wasn't locked up or chained.

Then again, there's that stupid tracking collar. Having your location monitored at every moment isn't fun.

I had closed my door to make sure Winnie didn't get in. I could hear her chirping and cooing outside, but I really didn't care, as long as she wasn't rooting around my blankets. The next time I woke up was around five PM, and heard Delhoun saying, "Come on out here, Drake!" in his cheery, high-pitched voice.

Sighing, I left the room, wearing nothing but my pants and boots. Delhoun was gesturing for me to follow him into his quarters, with Winnie on his shoulders. He sat at the little table in the center of the room, and Winnie jumped off his shoulders, disappearing into a dark corner. A few seconds later, I could hear the unmistakable sound of an animal eating out of a metal bowl, and I glanced in that direction, wondering if I could catch a glimpse of what was under the gas mask.

"Don't stare," Delhoun whispered. "It's disrespectful."

"Do you know what they actually look like?" I asked.

"I do, but that is something I cannot divulge to you. Annexers don't reveal themselves unless they absolutely trust you."

"Little Shit trusted me, but he didn't take off his helmet."

"You weren't around him long enough to be given that honor." Delhoun uncovered fresh hot food already laid out on the table. "Help yourself, Drake. I can only hope the richness doesn't upset the balance of your gastrointestinal tract after a long while of bland rations."

"I think I'll be fine, thank you."

There was silence for the next several minutes or so. Winnie had finished her dinner and was wandering around the room. She jumped onto one of the counters, her tail flicking back and forth.

"Drake, why did you come back with one explorer?" Delhoun asked.

"I don't think that's any of your business."

"Is it? You must be mistaken. I'm employed by Weyland-Yutani. Of course it's my business. Besides, if you don't tell me, I will extend the time you have to wear the collar for far longer than three weeks."

 _So that's why you've been feeding me and leaving me alone. You're buttering me up for information._ I didn't have much of a choice, so I took a breath and said, "The second one was killed by some kind of parasitic alien."

"Let me see, now, I know a lot of parasitic aliens. Was it something that infected him and eventually killed him just by being there and sucking his nutrients dry?"

I shook my head.

"Did it . . . emerge from him?"

I nodded.

"By what means?"

"Came out of his chest."

Delhoun wasn't smiling nor frowning. His ruby eyes were fixed on me, as if he was thinking hard and forgot to look away from me. "I see, and did this thing that came out of his chest . . . did it get bigger and bigger within a short amount of time? And when it was in its fully-grown form, did it appear black in color, with an elongated skull, a long, sharp tail, and a secondary pair of jaws?"

"Jesus Christ, you got it."

"I thought so." Delhoun's eyes seemed to be burning into my soul. "The menace . . . did it eventually die?"

I nodded. "Smartgun fire."

"Were you with the Annexers at that time?"

Again, I nodded.

"Did they _brutalize it?!"_

"Yes."

"Did you find a nest?"

"No."

Delhoun banged his fist on the table, and I felt an ice-ball sink into the pit of my stomach. He stood up, and then took my face, gently, rubbing my cheeks with his thumbs. "Drake, a Xenomorph nest isn't something you just leave alone," he said, softly.

"I didn't even know there was one," I replied, struggling to remain calm.

"Do you realize that the tribe of Annexers you found . . . could have all been slaughtered?"

"Haven't they fought this thing before? There were cave paintings in their tunnels, of some other encounter with humans and some kind of war between them and that . . . thing. I don't know shit about this thing! All I know is what I saw on LV-400!"

Delhoun continued stroking my cheeks, deep in thought. When he let go, he sat back in his seat. "Alright, Drake, I'll believe you."

"Thanks." I breathed a subtle sigh of relief, uncomfortable with the cold touch of Delhoun's hands.

Winnie, who had been watching the whole thing, remained where she was on the counter, her only movement being her tail. When Delhoun and I fell silent, she began nosing around the counter, and pawed at a roll of paper towels, before knocking it on the floor.

"She's really a little bitch," I said when I saw that. "How do you live with her?"

"Easy," Delhoun replied, "I don't have guests often."


	2. Chapter 2

Despite his earlier outburst about Xenomorphs, I don't think Delhoun is dangerous, nor do I think he's working because Weyland-Yutani forced him to. In fact, Delhoun is just about the most harmless scientist I've ever met.

He's just . . . you know, out there, but a harmless out there.

He explained that he had been collecting and studying (and domesticating) mammalian aliens since he was sixteen, taking a particular interest in the Annexers. He didn't seem at all bothered by the fact that I referred to his lab as a zoo. In fact, he thought that was "rather sweet."

When I referred to Winnie as a bitch, however, Delhoun said, "A male Annexer is a buck. A female is a doe, not a bitch."

Delhoun never really gave me anything to do. In fact, he seemed keen on allowing me to sleep most of the time, and he had no limits on food, basically allowing me to eat whatever I wanted and however much I wanted. Whenever we sat down for a meal, though, he talked, asking me all sorts of questions. He asked me about the Marines, the places I had been, and my past, all while offering me food until I felt like I would burst. It was as if he wanted something out of me, and the way he was going to do it was by pampering me.

Now, I didn't have a problem with Delhoun, but I did have an issue with Winnie. I think whatever scent Little Shit put on me was making her horny, because she was acting strange around me. One morning, I made the mistake of leaving my door open, because I returned to find a puddle of urine on my bed, and Delhoun (the smartass he is) cleaned it up and said that's how Annexers mark their territory when they live alone.

I also realized Winnie is smarter than she looks. I locked my door at night, hoping that would keep her out, but I woke up around midnight to feel her nosing around my bed, under the blankets. I stayed as still as possible, knowing that I had a lot of exposed skin she could scratch up. At one point, all I could hear was her breathing in my face and I could practically feel the filter of her gas mask touching my face. Her tail was draped over my stomach and I could feel laying on me, watching me pretend to sleep.

Yeah, this is singlehandedly far worse than Little Shit. At least he didn't watch me sleep.

I couldn't even pretend to sleep anymore. I opened my eyes, seeing the big red glowing eyepieces of the gas mask right in my face. "Hey," I said, calmly, "it's not nice to stare at people when they sleep."

Winnie snorted, not moving.

"Can you leave? Please? I'm asking nicely. How'd you get in my room?"

No answer.

"Look, I'm not gonna put up with you in here. Either get off me, get off my bed, and leave, or I will push you."

Winnie stayed put, like she was taking this as a challenge.

"Alright, that's it." I sat up, throwing my arms around her and pressing her to my chest so she couldn't scratch me. I may've succeeded in that department, but nothing could stop her from screaming. She screeched and screeched until a furious-looking Delhoun stormed into my room with messy white-blond hair and wearing a pale-blue bathrobe. He groped around for the lights, and after flipping them on, he glared at me and Winnie with bloodshot eyes.

"What the bloody hell is going on in here?!" he hissed.

"Your little pervert was watching me sleep," I said.

" _Is this true, Winnipeg?!_ "

Winnie shrugged.

"Oh, no, there's no 'I don't know,' here, you little brat! You didn't just magically appear in Drake's room, now, did you?!"

Winnie shook her head. She had stopped squirming in my arms, and looked as though she wanted to slink away, ashamed.

"Alright. Let her go, Drake. I'll make sure she doesn't bother you again." Delhoun took her from me, turning the lights off as he left the room. When the door was closed and locked, I heard Delhoun say, "You're a very naughty girl. Stop trying to hump our guest."

Winnie screeched at him.

"Don't you scream at me. Go to your pen and stay there until morning."

* * *

I awoke to the smell of bacon frying, and after throwing on a pair of pants, I walked out into the corridor to see Delhoun in his quarters, making breakfast. Winnie was in the kitchen, too, but she was wearing a red harness. I saw the loop of a leash around Delhoun's wrist.

"Good morning," Delhoun said without looking up from what he was doing. "Have a seat. I'll have breakfast ready in a minute."

I sat at the little table, taking a cup of coffee already there and sipping it. I thought for a moment about how Delhoun had been asking me a lot of questions the last several days, and decided it was my turn to ask him some questions.

Delhoun set plates of bacon, eggs, pancakes, and biscuits on the table, and poured both of us a glass of orange juice. He gestured for me to take what I wanted before he opened a microwave and pulled out a small jug of maple syrup.

All this was so much better than the powdered rations I got in the Marines. I wouldn't miss that, but I knew I'd miss the fresh food I was getting here when I went back to my squad. I shoveled pieces of pancakes dripping with syrup in my mouth while Delhoun sat across from me.

"So," I said with my mouth full, "where're you from?"

Delhoun glanced at me, his coffee mug halfway to his lips. "Me?"

"Yeah, you. I'm not talking to your little pervert, am I?"

"Oh, don't worry about Winnie. Now, where am _I_ from? I'm from Winnipeg, Canada."

"Is that where Winnie got her name from?"

Delhoun nodded. "Yep. I named Winnie after my home city, given the fact that it's unlikely I will ever return unless I decide to retire."

"And you've dedicate your entire life to animals?"

"Maybe not my 'entire' life, but definitely part of it. I've spent many, many years going to newly discovered planets and studying their wildlife. It's a lonely task, to be honest with you, but it's been working out wonderfully." Delhoun set his mug down, picking up a fork and cutting into a pancake.

"You don't have coworkers?"

"I choose not to. I've worked hard enough to where people come to me for help instead of the other way around."

I wiped my mouth with a napkin before taking another two pancakes.

Delhoun frowned while watching me. "Slow down, Drake, you'll make yourself ill."

"I probably won't get to eat like this again," I said.

"Oh." Delhoun grinned. "Well, maybe you could quit the Marines and come work with me. You had some experience with Annexers."

"No," I replied, "I thought they were irritating. Besides, I've got friends in the Marines, and they don't have perverted, gas mask creatures as pets."

"Your choice." Delhoun picked up his glass of juice.

"What exactly do you do here, anyway?"

"I care for alien specimens and study their ways of life."

"Why in a hospital?"

"This isn't just a hospital. There's the hospital and then there's the research station attached to it. The quick access to new methods of treatment for various injuries and illnesses is very convenient." Delhoun gave a quiet sigh. "There are times where I wish I could leave more often."

"Can't put in a request?"

Delhoun shook his head. "I can, but it takes awhile before someone verifies it, usually because I'm not trying to collect Xenomorph specimens." He set down his glass. "I try to have some sort of adventure when I do get the chance to leave. Last time I got to leave was my birthday."

"That had to be nice."

"Well, it was six months ago, so . . . yeah, it was. I got one of the best presents I could possibly get. A friend I know has a relative who owns surplus from the failed Seegson station _Sevastopol. He got me one of their Working Joes."_

I frowned. "What?"

"Oh, yes, you're too young to have known about this. Seegson was a rival company to Weyland-Yutani, but they didn't exactly last very long. They built their own androids, but they were nothing like the magnificent beauties we have. They were designed to be distinguishable from humans and connected to a single core computer. Unfortunately, when _Sevastopol_ was scheduled to be decommissioned, the Working Joes . . . malfunctioned and began attacking people. My friend's relative-I think it's his uncle, but, I could be wrong-anyway, he was able to deactivate the ones he owned by cutting into their heads and tinkering with some chips." Delhoun grinned. "I didn't believe it until I was given one. Now, I was a little nervous at first considering these things became hostile easily, but then I learned that because they were deactivated and their central core no longer existed, I could do whatever I wanted with it. I hooked mine up to the core of the laboratory, and he's completely obedient to me."

"Doesn't the lab belong to Weyland-Yutani?"

"It does, but my Working Joe is my property. I can disconnect him from that core whenever I want. I tried getting my own android from Weyland-Yutani a few years ago, but, I didn't have the funds and it would've been loyal to them instead of me."

"How'd Winnie take to this?"

"Oh, she hated the Working Joe for about a month. She urinated on it, she scratched it, she hissed at it, she was absolutely pissed off." Delhoun shrugged. "I guess she got used to it after awhile."

"Gee, sounds like all the things she's doing to me," I snorted. "How do we know she's not humping your android?"

"Because Annexers are smart enough to know the difference between a living thing and a synthetic." Standing up, Delhoun began placing the dishes by the sink, and gestured for me to follow him. "I'll show you my android. Surely, this'll be better than lying around and digesting all day."

He wasn't wrong. I had spent the last three days just eating and sleeping. Hopefully, I'd find something active to do before every piece of real food I had missed out on for the last several years turned into useless padding on my belly. Hudson would never let me hear the end of it if I returned heavier than when I left, and I think Vasquez would just encourage him instead of stop him.

As I thought about the real possibility that my pants wouldn't fit in the morning, Delhoun led me down the corridor to a small room, locked by a door that required a passcode. With Winnie on his shoulders, Delhoun typed in the passcode, and the door opened to reveal one of the creepiest androids I've ever seen. It was bluish-white in color, but instead of human-like skin, it had rubber. The eyes were like those little white Christmas tree lights, and it was wearing a simple brown and orange jumpsuit, which was torn in some places from when it was attacked by Winnie.

Delhoun was clearly proud of himself as he activated his android. It walked from its post, and spoke, with no facial movement. Its voice was clearly robotic as it said, "Good morning, Doctor. How may I serve you today?"

I sighed. "I can see why Seegson went out of business."

"These things can be mildly unsettling, but at least this one is mine." Delhoun smirked. "I can assure you that it's safe."

"You assure me a lot of things." I honestly wasn't interested in his creepy robot. "Is there someplace where I can . . . I dunno, do a workout or something?"

"Yes, there is." Delhoun patted the shoulder of his android. "Show him where the gym is." He then looked at Winnie. "Will you behave if I let you off your harness?"

Winnie grunted at him.

"Good girl." Delhoun unhooked her leash and harness. "I'm going to get some work done." He patted her helmet.

So, the creepy-looking android was leading me toward the gym, and Winnie was stealthily following me. This was probably going to be the worst gym experience of my life.

Just when I thought the creepy android and horny Annexer would make everything worse, I entered a gym that looked a lot more like a medical laboratory than a gym, and that's because it basically was a medical laboratory. The room was completely white, and there were people walking around in white coats and surgical masks, observing people in skin-tight black jumpsuits running on treadmills and working on machines.

I was uncomfortable just looking at this. All I wanted to do was run and bench press with no interruptions, but it looked like I was going to have plenty of interruptions here.

One of the doctors approached me, holding a folded jumpsuit. She didn't say a word as soon as she saw the tracking collar, and simply handed me the suit, directing me to a bathroom where I could change. There were about four or five other guys in there, changing in or out of their jumpsuits. Based on their conversations, they were part of a group testing a new sinus medication.

A tall, well-built man saw me, and said, "You part of a test group?"

"Nope," I replied, not making eye contact as I removed my clothing. I was about to put one foot in the jumpsuit when the guy added:

"Underpants gotta come off, too, dude. Sorry."

I took a deep breath and turned a deep shade of red as I removed my underwear, trying to get the suit on as fast as possible.

"You just visiting or something?"

"No. I'm a Marine on punishment," I muttered. "Can't you tell?" I gestured to the collar.

"What'd they do, give you to Delhoun?"

"Yep."

The guy laughed. "He's weird, isn't he? More like a zookeeper than an actual doctor."

"Sure is." I hung my pants in a locker while still trying to pull the cold jumpsuit over my body. Once my private parts were covered, I glanced at the other guys, hoping no one was staring.

"Here to get away from him?"

"Yeah, you could put it that way." Honestly, I felt that was a better response than "I feel fat." As soon as I had the suit zippered up, I left the room, only to have that same doctor from earlier come up to me and strap a monitor on my right wrist, before sending me off to a treadmill.

I get it. There's a set program here that I have to follow. There's no doing it your own way, and that sucks.

I got on the treadmill and I was greeted by Winnie perching on the monitor. She cooed at me, watching me press buttons before actually starting my run.

"What? You here to make fun of me or something?" I asked.

She waited until I was running at top speed, and then shut the damn thing off. I came to an abrupt stop, falling flat on my face. The heartrate monitors on my wrist and the treadmill were beeping furiously, and Winnie was looking down at me.

I stood up, giving her a dirty look. "I hope Delhoun keeps you in your pen for a week when I tell him what you're doing in here, young lady!"

Winnie screeched at me, and the entire gym was looking at us.

I turned the treadmill back on. Winnie turned it off. On. Off. On. Off.

"I just want to know why," I groaned. "Why are you doing this?"

Winnie shrugged. Thanks to her, I only had ten minutes to actually run, and then I had to move on to another station, which was bench pressing. I hoped Winnie didn't try any shenanigans here, because one wrong move and I could shatter my ribcage.

Laying on my back, I gripped the bar before slowly lifting it off the rack. Winnie then slunk over to hop onto my stomach, pressing herself flat against me. I was about to yell at her when I realized she was serving as a good point for where I lowered the bar. When the bar was right above her helmet, I raised it back up again.

I had to smile. "Wow, you're actually doing something useful. Thanks."

Winnie made a snuffling noise, stretching her paws out until she was touching the base of my neck. She didn't move until I received the signal to move on. Instead of being distracting and annoying, she watched me, quietly. I sat down to use a shoulder press machine, and she let out a sad squeak.

"What?" I said.

She stood up, continuing to whine.

Maybe I made a mistake in being nice to her when I was bench pressing, or maybe she had some kind of realization that I'm not a male Annexer. I kept watching her throughout my time in the gym, and I had a moment of epiphany.

Winnie's bored. Not just bored, but insanely bored. Bored to the point of restlessness and destructive behavior. She thought things were going to change when dumbass Drake came in, reeking with the pheromones of a male member of her species. She must've thought I brought that male with me, and she was realizing that simply wasn't the case.

I felt sorry for her, being cooped up in this station for five years of her life. That's why she's been hanging around me and being irritating. She's doing things to get my attention because I'm someone completely new to her.

I returned the black suit and the monitor to the doctors, and they gave me a sheet containing the data collected on my heartrate for the duration of my stay. Needless to say, I'm healthy. Winnie followed me out of the gym, trotting alongside me as I made my way back to Delhoun's lab.

After taking a shower, I was about to take a nap when Winnie entered my room yet again. She lay on my stomach, and let me touch her helmet. We remained there for a long time. I was lazily stroking her helmet, and she was purring contentedly.

"Jesus, all it took was me saying a couple of nice words to you and you melt like butter in an oven," I mumbled.

Winnie snorted, keeping her head rested on my chest.

Alright, so the gym experience wasn't the worst. It was invasive, though, and a little weird. I would later learn it wasn't really for recreation; it was for medical test subjects and recuperating patients, but our good buddy Delhoun gave me a pass to go in there-didn't make it any less uncomfortable.

I was still lying on my bed when Delhoun peered in. He looked puzzled at what he was seeing, and said, "Is she sleeping?"

Winnie answered that question by looking over at him. She stretched, giving a squeaky yawn.

"I see you two have made up?" Delhoun asked, walking over to pat Winnie's helmet.

"I think she's really bored," I said. "You gotta get more chances to get out of here with her. Or get her a friend."

"Well, Drake, I told you this morning that's not easy. I try to get as many chances as I can, but, not all my requests go through." Delhoun looked at Winnie. "My research has concluded that it's not a good idea for one human to have two Annexers. Only one Annexer can bond to a human, and having two would lead to issues regarding favoritism and jealousy and a lot of fighting between the two animals. Doesn't matter the sex or age or even if they're related; they'll fight for their human's attention."

I nodded. "I guess that . . . makes sense."

"Yeah. I know she's bored. This isn't the best of living conditions for her, mentally, but she wanted to come back with me when she bonded with me, and I took her."

"I told Little Shit to stay."

"I figured you would. Your occupation would make caring for an Annexer difficult. It takes time for them to be trained and housebroken, and there's also the issue of how they would respond to the rest of your squad. They could develop an aversion to someone for any number of reasons that could lead to complications, and we don't want that."

I snorted, thinking about an Annexer screeching at Hudson while he hollered, "All I did was breathe in your direction, man, no need to yell at me!" or " _You're not my mom, man! I will eat my chips as loud as I want!"_

I couldn't believe I was missing him. My thoughts were turning to Hudson and Vasquez and Apone and Hicks and every other Marine I've served with. A dull, heavy ache started in my stomach, and I began wishing I could go back in time to change my behavior.


	3. Chapter 3

I think I made an unspoken compromise with Winnie: she wouldn't annoy me if I didn't annoy her. She would still go into my room early in the morning to greet me with happy chirps and purrs, her tail whipping back and forth, but at least she wasn't staring at me while I slept-then again, she might still be doing that, and I don't know it. Anyway, I didn't tell her to go away; instead, I welcomed her, roughly rubbing her helmet.

Winnie liked roughhousing, I found out. The day after we managed to bond in the gym, I played with her. I'd lay down on the floor and she'd lunge at me. I would roll away, and she'd make an abrupt turn, jumping on me in the process. When I pushed her off, she'd resist, and after batting at my hands, she'd grab them tightly, and begin snorting and purring. Sometimes, she'd trick me by remaining still, lowering my defenses, and then leapt at me, clambering on my shoulders and wrapping her tail around my neck as she held onto my head.

To make a long story short, I think we were growing to like each other, and she made going back to the gym a much better experience, especially when everyone stares at a man doing pushups with an Annexer on his back. Best of all, she didn't shut off the treadmill.

I still didn't like going in there, even with Winnie. I was pretty much the only one in there for recreational purposes. The others were either patients or medicine test groups. You had your usual physical rehab patients, some of whom were Marines from different units, and you had your patients who had some kind of serious illness that left them bedridden for months, most of whom were really weak from it and had a tough time getting back into shape.

The medicine test groups were basically guys who had taken a drug still in development and were testing to see how the body reacts to exercise while this drug was in their systems. I got to see what this new laxative does while you're exercising . . . Yeah, the guy cramped up and fell off the treadmill and had to be hauled off to the restroom before this place got messy.

None of the people there were bad. It was the doctors that made me a little nervous. They were always wearing masks and they never let me just hop on a machine and do my thing; I _always_ had to wear a black bodysuit. Delhoun told me the suits contain little sensor nodes that enhance readings of your heartrate and the movements of your muscles. I told him that I hate feeling like a medical experiment, and Delhoun said, "This station is primarily a hospital, Drake, you know that."

Nothing was going to prevent me from becoming restless. Only five days into my sentence, and I began feeling irritable and depressed. I missed every little thing about my squad, every strength and every flaw. I missed Hudson's cocky, goofy nature. I missed Vasquez and the relationship we've been building since boot camp. I missed Apone and his well-earned air of authority.

There was a part of me that felt like bursting into tears. Winnie didn't prevent me from feeling lonely, but when I finally cracked one afternoon, she cuddled up against me on my bed, letting me hold her as I began to cry. That emotional release was what got me in trouble on LV-400. I cursed myself for not being better at holding this all in. Still, what would happen if I did hold it in? I'd just become more and more unbearable to be around, and I'm already a pain in the butt as it is. That's not how a functional squad is made.

But here, I was all alone. No Vasquez. No Hudson. No one. I was on my own and I couldn't do jack-shit about it. If I was going to make myself a better Marine, a better teammate, and a better _man_ , I was going to have to do some things by myself.

* * *

I guess one of the things I had to do to make my stay here more bearable was to become friends with Delhoun. I had to trust him, and he had to trust me. In all honesty, I've seen some nutty scientists, and although I think Delhoun has a shit-ton of bats in his belfry, he's more sane than any other scientist working for Weyland-Yutani.

He seemed to enjoy having a "guest" around. Maybe he was a little restless, too, but after a week of me being in his lab, he slowed down in terms of doing nice things for me. He didn't cook as much, making one or two courses for a meal instead of four or five. I sat down one morning to find bread and the world's blandest cereal at the table, and my stomach made certain everyone knew it was disappointed.

"Please accept my apologies, Drake," Delhoun said while pouring himself a cup of coffee. "I received word my budget has been cut a little and I'm trying to save money by spending less on food."

"Sorry to hear that," I replied.

"Oh, don't be. Not like my research has done much, anyway."

My level of pity for Delhoun wasn't as high as it should be, but I decided to take this opportunity to be nice to him. He controlled the collar around my neck, after all, and I'd rather we be on friendly terms. "I don't think you haven't made _any_ contributions to science. Come on, someone out there thinks your research is more important than anything else."

"Well, it's pretty obvious that most people in charge here don't. I wish I had more of a say, but, that's the price I pay for wanting to be in command of my own field. Less people, less influence, less funding, less chances to show your research off to the world." Delhoun shrugged. "That's the way things work, and we must learn to accept things as they are. There are things we can and cannot control, and it is important in life that we learn to decipher exactly what those things are."

"Huh. Apone told me something similar just before we left LV-400," I said.

"I don't believe you told me what specifically you did to get yourself sent here," Delhoun replied, rubbing his shaven chin.

"For starters, I threatened to hit Bishop, our android. I was having some emotional issues, and I . . . thought the best way of dealing with them was to take it out on everybody."

"I see. What was bothering you at the time?"

"I was afraid the mission was going to be a failure. I had a weird dream while in hypersleep, and I kept feeling as though Bishop knew something we didn't, so, I got mad at him."

"But, you didn't actually hurt anyone."

"No."

"Ah, so this was all the result of a dream."

"I wouldn't say all of it. Most of it was due to the fact that I'm terrible at managing my emotions."

Delhoun shook his head, clicking his tongue. "I don't think that's the case, Drake. Yes, it's true some of us at better at managing our emotions than others, but it doesn't make you a failure for not being good at it. Some of us have our heart closer to our skin than we'd like, and it can be difficult to stifle the connection between the heart and the brain."

"You're nuts if you think I use my heart more often than my brain."

Another headshake. "Then why do you play with Winnie? You saw she was bored, and you took upon yourself to entertain her, make her happy."

"I felt bad for her, that's all."

"That's still a heart reaction rather than a brain one." Delhoun smiled. "You're human. Don't feel bad about it, and don't feel like you're failing at something when you take how your heart feels into consideration."

I was about to say something to the effect of "I guess you're right," when the lights in the room and the hallway flickered before shutting off entirely. Winnie let out an ear-shattering shriek, and I heard Delhoun get up. He grabbed me by the back of my shirt and wrestled with something on his belt. That was when I noticed the little red light on the tracking collar was off.

"Let go!" I snarled, trying to push Delhoun.

Delhoun didn't reply, and I felt a needle being driven into my upper arm. Sound gradually became muffled, and the last thing I heard before blacking out completely was Winnie screeching.

* * *

I couldn't feel anything, but I could hear the slow and steady thumping of my heart, and the breath going in and out of my lungs. My vision went from black to dark-gray the more I breathed, and the internal sounds of my body became quieter as the outside world grew louder. When I regained feeling, I realized my hands were cuffed, and I had been strapped down to a gurney.

The first emotion I felt was anger. Anger because Delhoun betrayed me. He had been so damn nice, only to reveal he was really just another faceless entity in Weyland-Yutani. He knocked me out and tied me up so he could do whatever painful experiments he had in mind for me.

"Drake! Wake up!"

Despite the fuzziness of my brain, I turned my head to see Delhoun. "You son-of-a-bitch! You fucking tried to put me to sleep so you could turn me into another pet of yours! You-"

"What the bloody hell are you talking about?" Delhoun asked. "I knocked you out because you were resisting me! The power across the station went out, and your collar was unlocked! I had to restrain you. If I didn't, I'd get in trouble, and you would probably have been tossed into a dark and dingy cell for the remainder of your time here!" He sighed. "The power's back on, though, and your collar's working." He began removing the straps and cuffs. "Here, sit up. I'll get you some hot chocolate."

With my vision in better focus, I saw I was in a small hospital room. Most of the machinery was off, and there were no windows. The only light was coming from my collar and a white lamp hanging above the heartrate monitor. Sitting up, I rubbed my face, still feeling groggy from the sedative injection. I had so many questions, but my body was protesting the effort of asking them when Delhoun returned with a cup of steaming chocolate.

"Please understand I'm so sorry for doing that to you," he said, dragging a chair over to the gurney.

I could've still been a little dizzy, but I thought I heard his voice crack. Time and time again, he was showing he cared. Honestly, he could've let me get thrown in a tiny cell somewhere in the bowels of the station. It'd make a lot of things easier for him.

But, he didn't. I think this little incident here showed he was more selfless than I realized, and I genuinely respected him for that.

"I think the power outage was an accident," Delhoun said. "Someone tripped over a wire or something, or pressed the wrong button. No worries."

I wanted to be snarky and say, "How do you know?" but I didn't, and kept drinking the cocoa.

"The sedative should completely wear off in an hour or so. After that, we'll go back to our own individual business."

A thought struck me, and I felt more of the fuzziness start to lift. "Where's Winnie?"

"I-I don't know." Delhoun's expression changed, and he looked concerned. "She was . . . in the kitchen when this all started. I know she was upset when I had to knock you unconscious, but I don't know where she went after . . . Drake, what are you doing?"

"I'm gonna go find her," I said as I got off the gurney.

"You're still suffering from the sedative. Get back in bed."

"I will, when I find Winnie." I jogged out of the room, calling for her. She wasn't in my room, nor Delhoun's, and she wasn't in the kitchen. As I turned into another hallway, leading near the gym, I heard Delhoun.

" _Drake! Get back here!_ "

I wasn't going to listen. Not today, not tomorrow. I ran past the gym, seeing a door open at the end of the hallway. As I got closer, I saw light. Many little lights, actually. I entered the room to find it was a massive, dark chamber, full of rows upon rows of glowing silver flowers. The flowers looked as though they were made of metal, and each one gave a soft, white glow around their petals.

Winnie was hiding under one of the tables, but when she heard my voice, she started screaming, and not in a cheerful way. In fact, it sounded worried and panicked. I looked around, not seeing anything threatening, but I was starting to feel sick. The room began to spin, and then I saw a ghost-like figure emerge from a corner. The figure looked strangely like Vasquez. She approached me, putting a hand on my shoulder. "You're paler than usual. Everything OK?"

I couldn't answer. My mouth was dry and my throat was tight.

"We miss you, Drake. A lot. There're a lot of things I want to tell you. Things you might be thinking of right now, in your drug-riddled brain. Jesus, you look awful. I've never seen such a sick-looking man before. Drake . . . listen. Why aren't you listening?"

I gasped, struggling to breathe. The other Marines were beginning to appear in the room.

"Havin' fun out here all by yourself?" Hudson asked. His voice sounded like it was far away.

"We kinda need you right now. One smartgunner short isn't gonna do us much good," Hicks said. "Huh. Never seen that shade of pale before. Picking up strange diseases here, Drake?"

I wanted to run, but I couldn't. I wanted to breathe, but I couldn't. I could hear someone banging on the door, but by the time Delhoun busted inside, I had passed out completely.


	4. Chapter 4

My dreams weren't peaceful. I saw myself running. Running down long hallways, tunnels, trenches, forest paths, and empty deserts. I saw people I knew, some suffering, some who didn't know who I was. I saw myself crying, screaming. I saw myself trapped, grabbing onto the bars of a tiny cage. I saw myself trying to escape a falling building. I saw myself hugging someone, and I couldn't tell who it was.

The dreams abruptly dissipated, and I heard panicked voices. Blurry shapes were standing above me. One of them held up a pair of small, flat objects. I heard a muffled "Clear!" and the objects were slammed against my chest. I jolted, and blacked out again, going right back to dreamland.

I was sitting in a green meadow, bathed in sunlight. I heard insects and birds. I saw a forest ahead of me, and then I saw someone coming towards me.

Vasquez put her smartgun on the ground before jogging up to me. She gave me a half-cocked smile, saying, "Are you alright?"

Somehow, I couldn't talk. I still felt as though my internal organs were being squeezed in a fist.

"You know we miss you, right? _I_ miss you."

I managed to nod.

"Can't talk to save your life, can you?" Vasquez sat next to me, taking my hand. "Never were all that good at talking. You could never convey yourself properly, and yet we understand each other. I don't think you see it, but, the other guys kinda understand you as well. We're a team and we get used to each other after a while. We see how we close ourselves off and open ourselves up." She looked at me. "You are a closed book, Drake."

I gave her a hug, but before I could give her a kiss, she put her hand over my mouth.

"Look, when you open a book, you read it from front to back. You don't start reading from the middle. Right?"

I nodded again.

"Hey, I started reading from the beginning a long time ago. I guess it's OK for me to open up to the middle." Vasquez put her head on my shoulder, holding me tightly. "You've got your moments of stupidity, Drake." Her voice seemed to change, and I could hear her choking on tears. "Just wish you had been a little less moody and used your head more. Maybe we'd be off kicking ass somewhere, together, as it should be. Not the same without you around. It's quieter, but Hudson's louder."

It was frustrating being unable to talk, but I had no way of communicating words to her. Shortly after Vasquez told me that everything was quieter without me but Hudson was still a pain in the ass, the world started to fade and blur.

* * *

The first thing to let me know I was still alive was the steady beeping of a heartrate monitor. I slowly opened my eyes, seeing I was in a brightly lit room. A bulky breathing mask was strapped to my face, and I felt cool, refreshing air rushing in and out of my lungs.

"Drake?" a familiar voice said. "If you can hear me, look to your left."

With much effort, I looked to my left, seeing a worried Delhoun standing next to the bed.

"Oh, thank God." Delhoun breathed a sigh of relief. "I had been told that you were almost lost, and even if you made it, you'd be in a coma for some time. Thank God they were wrong."

I couldn't talk with the breathing mask on, and all I could do was look at Delhoun, who was soon taken out of the room by a nurse. I was tired, and confused, and disturbed. My dreams had been very vivid and fast-paced, and I was afraid they all carried some kind of meaning.

About ten hours after I woke up, the mask was taken off, and I was allowed to sit up. I was hungry and dehydrated, and I still wanted to know what I had seen in that room with all the flowers. The nurses didn't want to give me a lot in terms of food, but they gave me a lot of water. I also wanted to talk to Delhoun, and see Winnie.

After I drank two bottles of water, I was allowed to see Delhoun. He came in my room, carrying Winnie, and dismissed the nurses, closing the door when they left. He set Winnie on the bed, letting her curl up on my lap. "I don't know if you remember," he started, "I said they almost lost you."

"I remember," I replied. "I just . . . don't know what happened."

"What happened was you walked into a room marked 'biohazard' while looking for Winnie. Those silver flowers give off a toxic fume that restricts your airways and makes you hallucinate."

"So, that's why I saw all my teammates in that room." I rubbed my face with a bedsheet, not wanting to cry in front of Delhoun. "They . . . were telling me they missed me."

"Interesting." Delhoun nodded a little. "I think it means you're very lonely and restless here. You miss them, too, don't you?"

"I do, but, before this all happened . . . I was thinking that I've gotta pull through this. I'm not always going to have people I know around me. There are some things I have to do alone, and this is one of them."

"Well, you don't exactly have a choice with this, son."

To be honest, I didn't think Delhoun was that much older than me. He certainly didn't look older than me, but I found out he was thirty, which is pretty young in my eyes, and really young to be calling me "son," given I'm in my early twenties. I figured it had something to do with mentality and experience. I'm the stupid kid who can't control his emotions. He's the older gentleman who's seen a good deal of shit and hasn't been able to enjoy life the way he should. I'm the one who's lost and he's the guy who has to guide me back. I didn't like the feeling of being indirectly told that I was hotheaded and poorly guided and . . . just an overall dumbass, but there was also a warm, somewhat comforting feeling with the fact that somebody could see I needed help becoming a better person.

I both wanted and needed that, but I didn't know how to express that.

"Drake, I told you yesterday morning that there are a lot of things in life we have no control over, and I understand how frustrating it can be to feel as though you have no control. I know you don't like me all that much as a person-"

"That's not true," I said. "No, I think you're an . . . you're an OK person. I don't dislike you. In fact, I respect you. A lot more than you realize."

A weak smile crossed over Delhoun's face. "Really? Is that so?"

"Yeah, 'course it is. You're not a bad guy. You're a little weird with your pets and your creepy fucker of an android, but-"

"Before you say anything more, thank you for reminding me about my Working Joe. While you were being treated for silver flower inhalation, I found out the real reason the power went out."

* * *

Seegson may have been put out of business years ago, but that didn't mean there weren't former workers who were pretty upset about the whole debacle. Given Weyland-Yutani's size, influence, and advancements, you'd think it'd be difficult for someone to infiltrate a facility and sabotage it. Yeah, I think there wouldn't be a need for the Marines if that was true.

According to Delhoun, there was someone inside the station who didn't belong. Someone who likely cut the power, and who had managed to hide themselves from security. My first instinct was to say, "Let me go and blow their brains out," but Delhoun said that because I was a prisoner, I was not allowed to be handling weapons.

This stinks. Not to mention I still had another twenty-four hours before my systems were clear of the silver flower toxin, and it would be yet _another_ twenty-four hours before I would be cleared of any side effects from both the toxin and the meds being delivered through an IV drip.

So, this stinks. Royally.

Delhoun wasn't being given a lot of information regarding the station's intruder. I thought the entire hunk of junk would be on full-lockdown, but only certain sectors of the station were. All hangars were closed. The surgical labs were closed. All rooms with patients who wouldn't be released within forty-eight hours were locked and only accessible by doctors and nurses with keycards. Because I was going to be released tomorrow, my room was unlocked. Delhoun's lab was still open as well, and he was pissed, because he was certain this intruder was a former Seegson employee looking to steal his android.

Yeah, Delhoun came up with the idea that this intruder was from Seegson, not anybody in charge of the station. Then again, I made up my mind that I was going to trust him, so, I decided to go along with what he said and keep my eyes and ears open for evidence.

But, just _fuck_ this idea that I am just going to sit around and not do anything. No, I'm going to go out there and find this intruder and slam his skull against the wall.

Truth be told, I did not want to wait to be released. I wanted to go look for this son-of-a-bitch now.

First of all, I would have to unhook myself from all the machinery, and . . . I don't know how. I also know that I still have light traces of silver flower toxin circulating in my bloodstream, and the doctors said letting me go now would mean Delhoun would have to take me back in a wheelchair, because I can't walk without the risk of passing out.

I tried playing with Winnie to pass the time, but the most I could do was let her attack me, because I couldn't move anywhere. She didn't seem to mind, and began giving me little gifts to try and cheer me up. Shortly after lunch, she trotted into my room, hopped on the bed, and took a tiny bag of chocolate candies from one of her pockets.

"This is definitely better than when we hated each other after I arrived," I said. "You agree, right?"

Winnie let out a short screech.

"I thought so." I rubbed Winnie's helmet. "Hey, maybe you can go find this intruder."

Winnie shook her head.

"Why not?" I folded my arms over my chest in mock disappointment. "Are you chicken?"

She cooed.

"Well, now that doesn't answer my question." I tilted my head. "You're one big chicken, aren't you?"

Winnie grunted.

"You don't wanna go out there because you're chicken."

Giving a grumpy snort, Winnie sat on my bladder, so I needed to call a nurse in order to use a bathroom.

* * *

When I was scheduled to be released from the hospital room, a doctor and two nurses wanted to make sure I could walk before actually letting me go. They helped me out of bed, and told me to take three steps forward. I was a little dizzy, but not to the point where I thought I was going to pass out. I walked without an issue, so I was turned over to Delhoun.

"Any word on this intruder?" I asked after Delhoun led me to his kitchen.

"Nothing. Something will happen sooner or later. A person has to find food, water, basic stuff to survive. I heard someone say that starvation or thirst might drive them into an area where they can be captured," Delhoun said. "Speaking of starvation and thirst, I'll bet you're hungry right about now."

"The hospital food wasn't bad," I replied. "Not as good as your pancakes, though."

"Thank you. I've been using my great-grandmother's recipe for years." Delhoun turned to face me. "If I didn't get interested in extraterrestrial mammals, I'd have opened up my own restaurant. I don't know why, but I've felt cooking is the freest art you can set your mind to. You can do it by yourself, in your own home, and it's something you can market to anyone."

"At least you're able to think of something besides your work," I said.

"Exactly." Delhoun set a jug of syrup on the table. "I know I said my budget was cut, but I figured you deserved something special when you got out of the hospital. Recovering from silver flower toxin is rough."

"So . . . is surviving silver flowers . . . rare?"

"No, not at all. What you went through is rare, because silver flowers generally don't grow in such close proximity to each other. In the wild, they grow in tiny clusters of around three to four plants, and the effect they have is small compared to what you went through. You still would have experienced mild hallucinations, breathing would be labored, and you would feel sick to your stomach, but you wouldn't have passed out. The toxin would remain in your system for around six to twelve hours, and after that, you'd be fine. According to all research, you should have died after breathing in the toxin of a combined three hundred and fifty flowers, but, I had been able to break into the lab and drag you out before it would've been deemed hopeless."

I found myself thinking about the fact that I had been hovering inches above death. I know that as a soldier I'm faced with my own mortality on a regular basis, but I thought that being shot would have a different feeling compared suffocating. It still meant death. It still meant . . . I was going somewhere else.

There was a part of me that wondered why I lived. Was it pure luck? Did I have a greater purpose that I needed to accomplish? Do the Powers That Be think I deserve to live out the rest of my life until I can barely remember my own name? Or am I just not worthy for Heaven yet, and Hell would be too cruel?

I swallowed past a lump in my throat, and I lost my appetite. Pushing my plate away, I stood up, saying, "I'm gonna go lay down," not making eye contact with Delhoun as I left the room.

* * *

I'm not sure how long I was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling while comprehending the fact that I had been so close to death. I thought about the dreams I had while unconscious. Would those dreams have continued? Would I leave the physical world and stay in my dreams?

What would happen if Vasquez and Hudson and Apone and Hicks found out? What would they say if they learned I had died because I'm a complete idiot? They'd probably make fun of me, then mourn me. They'd miss me for sure. Every time I see them in my dreams (and hallucinations), they tell me they miss me, but . . . I don't know if that's true or not.


	5. Chapter 5

I couldn't sit and think for much longer. I was alive, and that was all that matter. I had lived to kick ass another day.

Now, it was time to go find whoever cut the power, and I was not planning on being very merciful, because the power outage had basically led to a chain of events of me getting poisoned by a bunch of alien flowers.

Delhoun turned off the lights in his personal wing for the night, and I waited until he was asleep before I got Winnie, who was curled up at the edge of Delhoun's bed. I don't know if she was sleeping or not, but, either way, I had to hope and pray she didn't start screaming at me.

Peering into the room, I was relieved that Delhoun was facing away from me. I quietly crept in, and clicked my tongue. "Winnie," I whispered, "Come 'ere, girl. Come 'ere."

A helmeted head lifted, and turned to look at me.

I put my finger to my lips. "Don't make a sound. Come on. Follow me, girl."

Winnie got up and stretched, still looking at me. She then flopped back down.

I sighed, then hissed, "Winnipeg, get over here this instant, young lady!"

She jolted up, giving me an angry squeak. While muttering, she hopped off the bed, clearly upset I used her real name.

I closed Delhoun's door quietly after Winnie left, and then I bent down to pat her head. "Good girl," I whispered. "Now, you and I are going to go exploring."

I think she knew I was really going to look for the station's intruder, but she went along with it, and hopped up on my shoulders.

Truth be told, I was still suffering somewhat from the silver flower toxin and the meds used to treat it. There was pressure in my sinuses, the muscles in my chest ached, and I occasionally thought I heard someone whispering my name. I knew I was supposed to be resting and letting my body get rid of the toxin through its own means, but I didn't want to rest. Frankly, I was starting to think that you didn't need a cell to punish someone; just stick them in an environment where there isn't much to do and they're alone with their thoughts most of the time. OK, I guess that's basically what a cell is, but, you know what I mean.

As I walked around the station, I realized that I haven't exactly experienced a true day-night cycle in awhile. A twenty-four hour clock is used, but because we're in space, there's no real day. It's always night. Maybe that's why my dreams were full of sunlight; I miss it. I want it.

No one was really walking around in a vast area below Delhoun's lab. It looked like a large classroom, devoid of people. There were model skeletons and anatomy holograms and a few rooms nearby marked with signs warning you about how they're housing cadavers for research and surgical practice. I crept around the classroom, and jumped a little when the PA system was paging a Doctor Ranelli.

Winnie was sniffing the air. She didn't like this room one bit, and neither did I. I felt like someone had taken an icicle and was sliding it down my spine.

Then, we heard footsteps. Winnie tensed up, and arched her back as she prepared to spring at whatever was approaching us. I held my breath, certain it was security guard coming to take me back to Delhoun.

I was wrong. It was Delhoun's fucking Working Joe.

The creepy android walked into the room. When it saw me, it said, "Are you lost?"

"Nope," I replied. "I'm alright. Are you lost?"

It didn't answer, and remained standing in the middle of the room, doing nothing. I looked at Winnie, who shrugged. She knew Delhoun's android better than I did, and she would know if something was wrong.

That was when I felt her dig her claws into my left shoulder. We heard another set of footsteps, and saw a person wearing a heavy gray jacket walk into the room, holding what I presumed to be some type of stun baton. In the dim light, I saw it was a man, clean-shaven, with dark brown hair that was graying near his temples. His face was angular, and he looked as though he hadn't had some proper rest in weeks. Elegantly, he pressed the tip of the baton to the neck of Delhoun's android, and said, "Private Mark Drake. A pleasure to meet you."

Winnie's tail snaked around my neck, a low growl coming from deep in her throat.

"How do you know my name?" I asked, clenching my fists.

"Your file is largely public here in this station. You're under the protection of Doctor Rykell Delhoun. You were just hospitalized for inhaling the toxic fumes of . . . silver flowers. Impressive, that you survived a dose that would've killed anything of your size." Still holding the baton to the Working Joe's neck, the man shifted his weight. "I should be thankful your status as a prisoner prohibits you from carrying any weapons. As a Marine, I believe you work with a 'shoot first, ask questions later' philosophy? We don't need you getting in even further trouble for hurting a civilian, now, do we?"

Winnie hissed. I was glancing around the room, trying to find a solution.

The man flicked his gaze between me and Winnie. "Quiet little fucker, aren't you?"

My stomach knotted tightly, and I slowly approached him, my hands raised. "Winnie, stand down," I whispered.

Winnie gave a surprised squeal.

"I said, stand down, girl." I didn't break eye contact with the strange man. "We can talk this out, can't we? Come on. You know my name. My turn to know yours. Only fair. Maybe I can . . . help you outta here. Hey, I hate this place. You see this stupid collar? Fuckin' hate it. We can help each other out, right?" I was standing directly next to him now.

"What are you playing at?" The man lowered the baton.

"I'm saying that I can help you."

"You don't even know what I want."

"No?" I gave him a charming smile. "Well, I don't care." I grabbed the back of his head, and smacked his face against a desk. As he pressed his hands to his face to check for blood, I promptly kicked him right under his ribs, sending him to the floor. In the process, he dropped the stun baton, and I picked it up, crouching next to him and pointing it at his neck. "You cutting the power resulted in me getting a lungful of that silver flower shit," I growled. "I'm being nice by not shoving this thing up your ass. I could-"

I was suddenly yanked from behind, and whipped around to face the Working Joe. "You are becoming hysterical," it said as it put its hands near my throat.

"Get him! Not me!" I shouted. "I'm your master's friend!" I tried to pry the cold, rubber hands from my neck, and then I heard a screeching yowl before a flash of black tackled the android. Winnie battered the Working Joe's face with her paws, hissing and screaming while the android tried to pull her off.

I shouldn't have gotten distracted by Winnie. A second later, I heard a click, and whirled around to see the man aiming a handgun to my face.

"Nice play, Drake," he grunted, his face still contorted in pain from when I kicked him.

I grabbed his arm a split-second before the gun went off, and tried to wrestle the weapon from his grasp. Remembering the stun baton, I tried driving it into his chest, but I missed, smashing the baton into the floor. The man shoved me aside, scrambling up and trying to run. The baton useless, I gave chase, yelling at Winnie, "Leave the android, let's go!"

Winnie sprinted after me. The intruding man glanced over his shoulder before making a turn into a hallway. He ran past the gym, and towards the room containing the silver flowers. I skidded to a halt, almost falling, not wanting to get closer to that room. I spent all of maybe five minutes in that room, but that was long enough for me to decide I don't want to be in there ever again.

I wanted to throw something. If I didn't do something, that nutcase was going to get away.

I didn't have to look around for long. Winnie charged forward, leaping on top the intruding man. She raked her claws down his back, and was about to plunge them into his neck when a two gunshots rang out. Seconds later, Winnie was flung to the ground, blood pooling from a wound on her left leg. She was howling in pain, and I found my heart sinking as I became torn over what to do. I wanted to help her, but I also wanted to stop the intruder.

 _She'll live. It won't take me long to take this guy out. She'll be alright. Not the worst thing that can happen to her._ I swallowed past a lump in my throat. Every muscle in my body was tensing up. There were so many things I wanted to do, but couldn't; they guy had his gun pointed in my face. He approached me, and I could see he was shaking.

"Get up," he snarled, grabbing me by the tracking collar. Blood was dripping down his back, leaving tiny puddles on the floor. "Can't have you fucking around with me anymore! I'll get that Working Joe, and I'll bring Seegson back! We were the _only_ people capable of competing with you and your Goddamn dysfunctional androids! What happened on _Sevastopol_ was a complete accident and an isolated incident! What Peter Weyland's precious David model did was nothing short of bringing two races to their knees on his own accord!" He pressed the muzzle of the gun to the side of my head. "That wouldn't have happened if your end goal wasn't to make robots identical to humans."

I felt like I was going to throw up. Tears were streaming down my face, and I could barely breathe. My life was flashing before my eyes.

 _Click_.

Nothing. I felt the blood drain from my face, and my muscles lost their tension. The gun had either ran out of ammo or malfunctioned. Either way, I wasn't dead.

" _Son-of-a-bitch!_ " The guy tossed his weapon to the ground, and hauled me up by the collar. After pressing a few keys on a panel by the room with the flowers, the door opened, and he pushed me in. "You're not going to survive this a second time, Drake. This is all going to look like complete idiocy on your part when security comes and finds your corpse and your pet's." The door closed when he left, and he decided to smash the lock for good measure.

Winnie was still lying in the hallway, presumably unconscious.

I _hoped_ she was unconscious. Huddled by the door of the lab, I tried not to breathe too much or too deeply, but I was upset over Winnie. I cared about her, that much I will admit to myself in private, and I don't want to be the one who caused her to get hurt.

The feeling of being a failure had come back, like a swift kick in the ass. I put my head on my knees. I thought about Vasquez. I thought about Hudson. I thought about Apone. I thought about Bishop. I thought about Delhoun. I even thought about Little Shit and his tribe of plucky Annexers.

What could do I other than think? I hoped I could last long enough for someone to find me, before the toxic fumes of the flowers took hold me once more.

Winnie lifted her head up, slowly. I was overcome with joy, and I wanted to bang on the glass and call to her, but I knew that would cost me my breath. She looked around, and what I saw next took my breath away quicker than those damn flowers ever will.

She removed her helmet.


	6. Chapter 6

This wasn't a hallucination. Winnie really did take off her helmet. She must've thought I wasn't looking or something like that. Her nose was small and pointed, and constantly twitched. She was covered in brown fur, with a white streak on her forehead. Her ears, which were set high on her head, were white as well. They weren't completely rounded, but they weren't long, like a rabbit's. Her eyes were blue, and slowly blinking. She looked around a second time, and began to lick her wound.

I didn't have a lot of time before the silver flower toxin got to me. I knocked on the glass. Winnie's ears flicked up, and she faced me.

"Get help," I said. "Get help!"

I think she trusted me. She carefully got up, limping over to the door, and put her paws on the glass. It came as a relief to me to finally read her face. She was concerned, I could tell, as her ears drooped a little, and she began sniffing the glass, eyes fixed on me.

"Winnie, get help," I begged. "Please!"

With a single chirp, she limped back over to her helmet, picking it up and putting it back on. She couldn't run, but she tried, leaving drops of blood as she went.

I felt like my lungs were tightening, but I couldn't take a full breath in. I continued to take as little breaths as possible, but I was feeling sick and dizzy. My body didn't want to go through this again. As a last ditch attempt, I yanked off my T-shirt, wrapping it around my nose and mouth, hoping it would filter out the toxin, or at least slow it down. I drew in a breath, but although I didn't feel tight anymore, I was beginning to feel lightheaded. I held my breath for as long as I could.

The PA system beeped, and I heard a robotic voice announcing a complete lockdown of the station. Everyone was to stay within their areas. The only people allowed in and out of anywhere were armed security guards. Even androids had to stay within their designated spots. When the announcement was over, I heard Delhoun's voice coming over a radio in the flower lab.

"Drake! Drake, can you hear me? If you can hear me, take this radio and activate the two-way channel. Stay low to the ground. When you get the radio, get under one of the tables."

I got on my stomach to crawl over to where the radio was sitting, on a desk. Still holding my breath, I reached up, trying to grab the radio. Once I had it, I moved under the nearest table, still lying flat on my belly. I took my shirt off my mouth after pressing a button on the radio, saying, "I can hear you, Delhoun. I think you were right; the guy that cut the power is a former Seegson worker. He locked me in the room with the flowers."

"Don't waste your breath, Drake. Listen, every door has been sealed from the outside. I can leave my quarters, but I'm not allowed to. I'm trying to contact security to get you out of there. Are you alright?"

"Well, I almost got shot. I can barely breathe. I don't know how much time I've got before I return to la-la land."

I could've sworn I heard Delhoun laugh a little. "I'm going to help you delay that for as long as possible. First step is staying under the table and low to the ground. The toxin likes to rise up, and it takes awhile for it to sink. Do you have any cloth? A large piece of it?"

"I'm already using my shirt as a mask."

"Good. Keep your breathing even. Don't draw in too deep or too shallow."

"How's Winnie doing?"

"She's going to be fine, thank God. The bullet missed a major artery in her leg. I'm going to properly treat her as soon as I have access to my lab. For now, I've stopped the bleeding."

"Where's your android?"

"I don't know. That's what I'm worried about."

"Yeah. Piece of shit attacked me."

"He did?!" Delhoun sounded shocked. "Whoever this intruder is must've meddled with him. I made damn sure my Working Joe knows you're not a threat." Delhoun was quiet for a minute. "Even breathing, Drake. Don't want me to turn your vital signs off now, do you?"

"I don't know."

"Listen: if things get bad, I'm going out there, and I'm going to rescue you. This man could be hidden in the station for a long time, and you can't afford to wait that long."

By now, any idiot could see that Delhoun was doing this out of the kindness of his heart. There were multiple instances where he could've easily disposed of me and not face consequences. I wasn't a guinea pig to him, at least not anymore. Nope. I was a genuine friend, and there was a part of me-what softness in my soul I had left to kill-that was grateful.

I felt like I was in that room for hours. I mumbled to Delhoun that I wanted to fall asleep, but he said no, explaining that I needed to be as in-control of my breathing as possible. Then he said only ten minutes had gone by. At that point, I hoped I did breathe in some of the silver flower toxin just so my vitals would go nuts and Delhoun would charge down here wielding a pickaxe to break into the lab.

I heard Delhoun sigh. "We're reaching a point where you really can't resist this anymore. How are you feeling?"

"Feel like I smacked my head against the wall," I said. "Feeling lightheaded. My chest feels like someone's sitting on it."

Delhoun fell silent. I could picture him rubbing his face while thinking. "Can't delay this any longer. Drake, I'm coming down there. I don't give a fuck what Weyland-Yutani does regarding my actions during a lockdown; I'm not letting you die in there. Do you think you're experiencing any hallucinations?"

"No. Not yet, anyways. You want me to let you know if I do?"

"There won't be a need to. Victims completely lose control of themselves when experiencing hallucinations brought on by this toxin. You think it's real. You try to see what it is. You step into the dense cloud of poison, and you breathe it in, then you pass out. That's what happened to you last time. I should be there soon. If not . . . hang in there, alright? You'll be OK."

I don't know how far it is from Delhoun's wing to the flower lab. At this point, I felt like ropes had been tied around my lungs, and were being pulled tighter and tighter. I wanted to breathe deeply.

Then the ghostly shapes appeared. I saw Annexers crawling down the walls, dropping on the floor, wandering around in typical animal fashion. One of them approached me, sniffing my head and pawing at me. I reached out, touching its helmet. I drew in a deep breath, and pain gripped my chest. I was then struggling to get a breath in, and my heart began pounding.

" _Hang in there, Drake! Hang in there!_ " Delhoun's voice was still over the radio, but it sounded further away, like he was shouting into a large tunnel.

"You're a marvelous piece of work, Drake," one of the Annexers said. "Are we trying to be a hero today?"

Another Annexer laughed. "You think your squad misses you. Yeah, I have a hard time believing that. They can find a new smartgunner." The animal moved closer to me, tilting its head. "Vasquez will find someone else to mess around with. You can be replaced easily."

My throat was closed. I was on the verge of panicking.

"Wouldn't be here if you could just follow directions."

A third Annexer came forward. "Oh, no, no, no, he's _bored_. Very, very bored. Can't sit still for a second." Its tail brushed my cheek. "Bored. Restless. Unreliable. Reckless. Lost. No good to himself or others."

All the other Annexers began laughing, and I covered my face. My chest continued to tighten. The laughing got louder and louder. It morphed into screeching and howling. They stepped closer to me, standing over me. I could practically feel them grinning maliciously.

" _Dream! Dream of hope! Dream of darkness! Dream of the happiness you will never experience!" one of them shrieked._

I screamed back at them, and I suddenly found myself being grabbed and lifted by some unseen force. A distant, familiar voice was saying, "Drake, I've brought oxygen!" I felt something being strapped to my face, and took in a deep breath. The tightness disappeared, and I felt the weight being lifted from my chest.

Delhoun was standing in front of me, holding me up. He was wearing an air mask of his own, and wore two tanks of oxygen on his back.

"Breathe deeply," he was saying. "You're going to be alright." He began walking with me out of the lab. "You're alright. I'll get you to the hospital as soon as possible."

I felt like the bones in my legs had disappeared. I continued breathing in that sweet, sweet oxygen as Delhoun led me down the hallway, then we heard gunshots behind us. Delhoun shielded me with his body as he yanked a handgun from his belt, firing at none other than the crazy man who wanted to steal his creepy android.

"You take one more shot, Doctor, and I'll make sure your Working Joe never sees the light of day again!" the guy shouted.

"Keep your dirty hands off my android!" Delhoun snarled. "I can easily repair it, but I can't exactly repair my Annexer and Drake here, can I?!" He kept his gun trained on the intruder. "Pity Seegson isn't around anymore, then you would've had a formidable defense in your trial for attempting to murder a Marine and deliberately wounding a domesticated animal!"

All Delhoun had to do was give the guy a good, clean headshot. That was it. At least, that's what I would've done if I wasn't in the condition I was in.

I'm not sure what Delhoun was going to do next, but I would never find out, largely because we heard the clicking of several weapons, and four security guards came around the corner in front of us, ordering Delhoun and the intruder to drop their pistols. Delhoun put his on the floor, calmly, putting his hands above his head. The intruder simply tossed his gun aside, glaring at the guards. A pair of cuffs were slapped on him, and he was led away.

What happened to him, I don't know. I never bothered to find out. I can only assume he was going to be sent to a prison station orbiting a lonely planet just beyond the known universe. Or he was going to be used as a host for a Xenomorph specimen. Honestly, if that was the case, I would've tried to find him and shoot him, because all I can think about were the explorers on LV-400, and how I failed to bring both back alive, and how having that thing come out of your chest is probably one of the worst things you can go through.

I hope I never have to see that again.

* * *

I was laid up in the hospital for the next two days, being given a really strong antidote that would cleanse my body of the silver flower toxin. The doctors didn't want to give it to me the first time because of how strong it was, but decided to do it this time because I was still wasn't recovered from that first time. The antidote made me dizzy and I needed to use the bathroom all the time because it was forcing everything out through my kidneys. It was also making me sweat a lot, and being sweaty all the time is just not attractive. My temperature was slightly elevated, and I didn't want to do anything at all because of how uncomfortable I was.

When the doctors confirmed I was clean, I was sent back to Delhoun to rest. I still had a fever that was said to break in a matter of hours, and I felt like I had been sitting in one of those amusement park rides that do nothing but spin you around and around as hard as it can. Delhoun, in his typical manner, made me sit in his kitchen and prepared an ice-cold citrus drink. He was even OK with spiking it though a splash of whiskey.

"Didn't know you drank," I said when he took the bottle out of the refrigerator.

"Not regularly," Delhoun replied. "Only on occasion. Once a week, maybe."

Winnie, who was lying next to me with her leg wrapped in bandages, lifted her head up and screeched when someone walked into the room. The man entering was kind of short, with thick dark hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a tan vest and a black-and-white plaid shirt, and he held his hand out to Delhoun. "Doctor, I'm pleased to announce that I convinced some of my colleagues to restore your regular funding, based on your actions during the lockdown a couple days ago."

"Well . . . that certainly is a kind gesture, Burke, but, I don't think it's really . . . necessary, so to speak. I mean, it's not like anything I've done over the years contributed to that-"

"Take it as a small gift," Burke replied. "Besides, handling the death of a Marine isn't something anyone here wants to do, and it's in our best interests to make sure they receive the best of care." He looked down at Winnie. "You know, if you need anything for your research regarding Annexers, I'm sure we can-"

"That will be all, Burke," Delhoun said. "I'm perfectly capable of doing my own research. Now, if you can get me a trip out to LV-400 or back out to Earth, I would surely appreciate that, and . . ." He looked at me, ruby eyes smiling, "I want Drake's sentence terminated."

Burke folded his arms over his chest, glancing at me and Delhoun. "That's . . . not exactly up to me, but-"

"Get me in contact with his commanding officer."

"Doctor, as much as I wish I could do that for you, I can't. I can get you that flight to Earth, though. How many days do you need?"

"Book me for two weeks. I'm going to visit family in Canada and then I'm going to Australia for a much-needed vacation, if that's alright by you." Delhoun grinned, trying to charm Burke into giving him this.

Burke nodded a little. "Alright, I can give you that. Two weeks and two weeks only."

Delhoun was silent as Burke left, then turned to face me and Winnie. "If you ever run into him again, don't trust him."


	7. Chapter 7

I bet you're curious about what happened to Delhoun's creepy android. Honestly, I'd be surprised (and mildly concerned for you) if you're concerned about Delhoun's creepy android.

Well, Brayden Wright-the disgruntled Seesgon employee who shot Winnie and almost murdered me-did tamper with the Working Joe, but not bad enough to where the damn thing couldn't be repaired. He could've done more damage if I hadn't interfered. That's it. I basically saved the damn android's "life." Do I regret that? I'm not entirely sure, but I know that Delhoun would be disappointed if he lost his android, and because I've developed a friendship with him, I won't let something bad happen to the things Delhoun values.

Delhoun spent several days working on his android and fixing it and tinkering and all that. I spent the next several days resting. There was no doubt I was sick, largely because of all the medicine I was given and the aftereffects of the silver flower toxin. Delhoun said no one's ever gone through two big doses of this toxin, much less survive a dose as large as the first one, and the research on it wasn't complete, which meant I was a guinea pig. Again.

No matter. My sentence was going to be up in a few days. I was looking forward to going back to my squad.

I got a chance to look at myself in a mirror, though. After shaving in Delhoun's bathroom, I just stood and stared at myself, and I was nothing pretty to look at. I had definitely not gotten heavier, despite eating so well. Nope, I had lost some weight, and not from exercise, which, to be honest, is sad. I had dark circles under my eyes and light red marks from all the machinery that I had been hooked up to.

I expected my punishment to be uneventful, and dismal, and boring, and just . . . nothing. Now, I don't know which was worse: me getting constantly poisoned by flowers, or complete boredom.

There was a knock at the door, and Delhoun called, "Drake! Everything alright in there?"

I sighed, rubbing my face. "Yes. You can come in if you want."

The door opened, and Delhoun stepped in, wearing his bathrobe and carrying a small radio. "I hope you didn't use all my shaving cream," he said, looking at the sink. "I don't get a lot of chances to go shopping for things like groceries and basic hygienic needs." He glanced at me. "You look like you're deep in thought. What's bothering you?"

"Thinking about everything that's gone on since I came here."

"You know most of it isn't your fault, right? You didn't bring Mr. Wright here, you didn't intend to get yourself poisoned by the silver flowers. Lots of things you can't control, Drake, and you have to learn to accept it, understand that not everything is your fault." Delhoun set his radio on the sink. "It's not healthy to pin the blame on yourself all the time. It's not right to pin blame on others all the time. Sometimes, you have to remain silent. Remaining silent allows you to work in the background, and listen. No one suspects you of anything and no one will bother you for any reason." He looked at me, offering a grin. "Don't dwell too much on what's happened. It's over. That's all that matters."

* * *

Winnie was in the kitchen when I came in. Her helmet was off and she had her face in a metal bowl, gnawing on a piece of raw chicken. Frankly, I'm glad I know what they really look like now. It's no giant weight on my shoulders, but at least I know that Winnie trusts me.

I didn't have much of an appetite, but I got myself breakfast anyway. After sitting down with a couple pieces of toast, I glanced at Winnie. "Sorry I let you get hurt."

She looked at me, ears raised, and chirped.

"I hope you're telling me to fuck off," I replied. "Not like I'm the kind of person that deserves forgiveness."

Winnie tilted her head before trotting over to me and resting her head on my knee.

"Well, you're not that smart anyway. Of course you'd forgive me." I ran my finger along the white streak of fur on her head. "You're soft." I began massaging her head, finding this better than petting a helmet. "I still don't get why you trust me. Was I too nice to you? Was I really that . . . relieving of boredom in your life?"

She glanced up at me, and cooed.

"I guess I was." I sighed. "You're gonna miss me when I leave next week. You're gonna miss me, and then you're gonna beg Delhoun to get you a playmate." I smiled a little, knowing I was going to miss her as well. "Enjoy your remaining time with me."

Delhoun walked into the room, wearing his khaki jacket. "She must really like you, Drake," he said.

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious."

"You're welcome." Delhoun poured himself a cup of coffee. "You know, an offer still stands for whether or not you'd like to become my assistant."

I shook my head. "I just can't. I've got . . . people that care about me in the Marines, and it'd be a little too selfish of me to just quit."

"If that's the way you feel, I understand." Delhoun sat at the table, watching Winnie go back over to where she'd left her helmet. "I hope you don't think your stay here was all bad. Matter of fact, I think it was more of an analysis of yourself than a punishment. I honestly didn't think you were going to do anything while you were here. I kind of expected you to sleep and wander the halls the whole time. Didn't think you'd try to talk to me, or get along with Winnie. I'm surprised you opened up as much as you did. Not many people are willing to talk to me in the way you did."

"Why? Do they think you're weird, too?"

"Sure do." Delhoun took a sip of his coffee.

"Well, I think you're weird. Smart as fuck, but weird."

Offering no reply, Delhoun glanced around the room, sighing while looking out a small window into space. "I like what I do, but I don't like being out here in space."

"Why?"

"It's dark. It's lonely. It's uncivilized." He fixed his gaze on me, ruby eyes seemingly looking into my soul. "I can't wait to return to Earth for a few weeks. It'll give myself and Winnie a chance to relax. Maybe you can visit, that is, if you're not busy over the next two weeks."

"I think I'll be busy. Besides, we have to actually miss each other before deciding to visit. Don't want to ruin that by seeing each other too often."

"Point taken."

* * *

It's been awhile since I picked up my journal, mainly because I wanted things to happen, things that had meaning, before I wrote them down. Really, I just didn't want to be wasting paper on everyday things that happened.

I'm back with my squad now, but I'm going to recount everything that happened the morning my sentence was up, just to pass some time.

Before I could eat breakfast, I was sent down to an examination room to be deemed medically fit to leave the station. The doctors were especially nitpicky because of my double dose of silver flower toxin. They got into arguments about whether or not it was safe for me to leave because I was still a little weak from all the treatments, and then they all agreed I could leave because they would give Apone this big file on what happened, what I went through, and what I could and couldn't do for the next week or so. That all sucks because I'm eager to get back in the action and I don't want to sit around anymore.

I tried not to be cranky during the examination, even though my stomach was growling and I wanted to enjoy some real food before going back to the bland rations. I did my best to be patient and let the doctors run their tests and ask me questions and tell me that I needed to be careful for a week because of a bunch of stuff I had a hard time understanding because I wasn't listening.

When I finally left the examination room, I went to Delhoun's kitchen, hoping he had a good breakfast for me. He did, in fact, and laid out pancakes and bacon and eggs and fruit and toast and biscuits and all the good stuff I was never going to see again in a long time.

"Look, cornbread's not bad," I said, telling Delhoun about some of the stuff we have in the Marines, "but it gets boring and kinda gross after awhile."

"I'm just glad you appreciate what I do for you, Drake," Delhoun replied. "I'll miss you, that's for sure. I think Winnie will, too."

Winnie screeched from her spot in the corner while she tore apart a pork loin.

"At least I know one thing you two have in common."

"What?" I replied.

"You're both messy eaters."

About an hour after breakfast, we got word that a transport docked and Bishop was coming to get me from Delhoun's lab. When he entered, he shook Delhoun's hand, asked if I was any trouble, and Delhoun said, "Drake was an absolute pleasure. I really hope we can meet up again."

Bishop glanced at me. "Him? A pleasure?"

"It's a long story," I mumbled.

Winnie charged into the lab, screaming as she jumped in my arms. She hugged my neck and wrapped her tail around my waist, whining and squeaking. I smiled weakly, patting her helmeted head. "I'll see you again, girl, don't worry," I whispered. "Be good, OK? Don't try to hump anymore guests."

She kept whining even as Delhoun pulled her off me. I was about turn and leave with Bishop when Delhoun took my hand. "Good luck. I hope the next time I see you isn't because you need to be punished again."

The tracking collar had been removed that morning, and my neck felt really cold without it. I hated it, but I got used to it. "Well . . . I hope the collar was a success for you."

"That was not the most important thing to come out of this," Delhoun replied. "I got to connect with someone not just as an acquaintance, but as a friend. I'm not lying when I say I'll miss you." Tears were beginning to well up in his eyes, and he gave me a hug. When he pulled away, he was trying to smile through his tears. "Be safe out there."

I felt a little achy inside, but I wasn't on the verge of crying. I nodded, and then walked away with Bishop, waving to Delhoun and Winnie until the door closed behind us.

As we boarded the transport, I was greeted very warmly by the rest of my squad. Hudson thumped me on the shoulder and roughly tousled my hair. Hicks grabbed my hand and gave me a brotherly embrace, telling me it wasn't the same without me . . . the same thing I heard in my hallucinations. Even Vasquez owned up to missing me, saying it was pretty quiet with out me, but Hudson had tried to make up for it . . . another thing I heard in my hallucinations.

The whole time everyone was telling me how much they missed me (or how they jokingly said they could've gone "one more fuckin' day" without me), I thought back to the hallucinations. I was glad they missed me. I was glad to be back.

That was basically it for my welcome-back celebration. After everyone said their piece to me, we got right back to work, right back to exercises and training. Oh, and by the way, Hudson did notice that I was thinner, which made me happy.


End file.
